Fun Business Fun Money Podcast
EP 055 – What does your ideal client REALLY care about?
“Why should I care?” 🤷♀️
Thats what your ideal clients are saying and thinking as they scroll or click around the internet.
Harsh, but true.
In this longer coaching episode we look at some of the reasons for this, and what they REALLY care about.
Theres also a bunch of questions you should answer to help shift them to thinking and saying “Hey! This is what I’ve been looking for!” instead.
TRANSCRIPT
Hey there, and welcome back to the Fun Business Fun Money podcast!
If you’re listening in real time its Tuesday 4th of July 2023, apparently an important date in the US and for the rest of the world its just another random Tuesday lol!
If you’re just new here Tuesdays mean a new coaching episode, where we dive a little deeper into a specific topic around business, or money and having more fun with both.
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I can’t believe its only been 6 months since the first episode and its become one of my favourite things, even though its just me sitting here recording in a room by myself!
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Today we’re talking about ideal clients and the biggest question they have when they see your content online, your offers, when they hear about you… “Why should I care?”
I know, harsh, but true.
Theres a whole lot of shrugging, eye rolling and mehs as they keep on scrolling because its just not for them.
At least, its not YET.
Theres likely some gaps or potholes in your customer journey to find you in the first place and eventually buy from you, so lets dive into it with an example from my own recent experience.
Its getting colder here in Australia, winter isn’t just coming, its officially here! Last year in 2022 was our first winter in Queensland, we’re 1000km north of where we used to live in Sydney. And that’s a LOT further north than where I grew up in the south of New Zealand, just on 45 degrees south, halfway to the South Pole!
Needless to say its a lot warmer in Queensland than the south of New Zealand AND in Sydney.
BUT… its still winter! And that means it recently become a priority for me to find ways to stay warm in my office!
I’ve become someone’s ideal customer, researching options and I’m ready to buy a solution for my problem.
Now I don’t know if this winter is going to be as cold in Queensland as it was last year, there were so many people talking about it as the coldest winter they’d experienced in DECADES.
It was still fairly mild compared to what we were used to, its not like we have major winter snow storms or anything! But there was certainly a few weeks where I had my puffer jacket out – and thats something I NEVER thought I would do in Queensland!
My home office gets particularly cold (and hot in summer) because its in a part of the house that overhangs the lower level, and theres no insulation under the floorboards. Thats on the list to deal with ASAP, but in the meantime its cold.
So this year I decided I needed to be prepared, and instead of using a heater I settled on a heated throw blanket. I love an electric blanket on the bed to warm it up before I get in, my toes are almost always cold.
A heated throw blanket is the perfect solution for when I’m sitting in my office, I don’t want to be bundled up in a puffer jacket and scarf while I’m on client calls!
I Googled options to see what was available and what sort of price they are. Suffice to say theres a WIDE range of prices with not much difference between the actual products!
I went into a few stores to check them out, and discovered the lowest priced one isn’t actually able to be washed. Just spot cleaning, nothing else. Thats a hell no for me, just no.
I ended up buying one that was almost twice the price as that cheaper one but it ticks all the boxes.
It also wasn’t advertised online, I just happened to see it at Costco. Its washable, it heats up in just a few minutes and its so cosy I can switch it off after about 10 minutes. Its absolutely PERFECT!
How does this riveting winter tale help YOU with YOUR ideal clients? Its all about the journey.
Heres an important question I want you to write down if you can, if you’re out walking or driving, don’t do that! You’ll find a full transcript of this episode via the show notes link in the description so you can go back later and get what you need.
You need to ask “What is my ideal client thinking right before they look for me?”
Because here’s the reality check for pretty much every online entrepreneur…
✅ You can create something amazing and market the shizz out of it.
✅ You can create all the ideal client avatars or profiles you want.
✅ You can build your audience as big as you can.
But if whatever you offer isn’t specific enough about who you help and the problem you solve, NONE OF THAT MATTERS.
You don’t need to convince anyone to buy your offer, to work with you, to pay money for your products or services.
Handling objections is such an outdated concept, a thing of the past.
Its that sleazy salesman vibe where you’ve literally knocked on a random person’s door because its on your list and you’re pitching your thing to a person who doesn’t know you, they aren’t looking for you and probably don’t even have the problem you’re offering to solve.
Theres zero ‘know like and trust’ to start with, and they have no need of what you have, so of course theres going to be objections.
Don’t be that person. That is not who we are.
WE, you and I, we are way more observant than that. We know when we’re being vague and fluffy, even when we don’t want to admit it.
By vague and fluffy I mean using jargon thats only understood by those who are already ‘in’ your world. The most obvious is the spiritual coaching side of things, astrology, human design, etc. Oh you’re a Gemini with Virgo sun and Mercury rising? Great! Thats nice! But the majority of the population has no idea what your ‘cool club’ terminology means because you’re referring to a MODALITY.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the woo side of life, but if you’re using that type of language you’re missing the mark – your ideal clients don’t care about your HOW until you show them WHAT and WHY.
People aren’t looking for a modality, they’re looking for a solution to their problem.
They’re Googling things like “Why is my energy off this week?” or “How do I stay consistent?”
Or if they’re like me looking for a way to stay warm, they’re Googling “warmest throw blanket near me” and HEY PRESTO! Heres an electric throw blanket to get me toasty warm in minutes!
Your modality could very well be the thing they need to know, to use, to understand or live by, but if they’re not at the point where they care enough about that, you’re shouting into the void and only your existing clients, fans or peers can hear you.
If you’ve not thought about this before, or its been a while, take some time to think about the people you want to serve and whats going on for THEM.
Take yourself out of the picture.
Its not about you.
Or your offer.
Or your modality.
Or your price for that matter.
Not at this point.
Its about your ideal clients and what they’re looking for. Find THOSE words and you’re on the right track.
Make the connection with those people, not just by clicking ‘add friend’ or ‘add connection’, but SHOW THEM the connection between their problem and your solution in the simplest, clearest terms.
I saw a great example of this on LinkedIn recently, one of my new connections was talking about website copy. Yes, that thing we all dread writing and lets be honest we kind of dread READING IT, and thats because most of us take too long to get to the point, to connect the dots.
We’re making it about US when it needs to be about THEM – your ideal clients and their problem.
Its not about you and your expertise, modalities, qualifications, your story, and DEFINITELY not about how much money you’ve made in your business – yes I’ve seen that before, right at the top of the website!
Just remember your ideal client is out there seeing that and rolling their eyes, shrugging and saying “Cute! I don’t care.” And scrolling or clicking off to something else.
There’s so much detail in this ideal client work that it can feel REALLY overwhelming, but the reality is I don’t think most people go deep enough with it.
Demographics is the most common approach, but how does knowing a job title, income level and location help you? Thats still just surface level.
My ideal clients are coaches, consultants and digital creatives – which includes web designers, copywriters and photographers. They’re online service providers who support other businesses with visibility and operations. They’re providing done for you services, or teach you how services.
Thats the surface level stuff. Lets take it a bit deeper.
🧠 Think about the size of the businesses you’re targeting, or the type of organisation, or both!
🧠 Do they have a certain number of employees or freelance team members?
🧠 Where are you picking them up on their business journey?
🧠 Are they solopreneurs, agencies, small businesses, 7 figure businesses or corporations?
I love working with solopreneurs and agencies, having spent 25 years working in large corporations I know its not an environment I enjoy or feel like I can have a lasting impact on.
I prefer to take those small businesses and help them grow to 6 figures, multiple 6 and even 7 figures, whatever their goal is.
🧠 What’s their current average monthly income?
When you’re working with tiny tiny businesses money IS an issue, so its something you need to consider. If they’re not yet stable enough you WILL be the first to go, your invoice will be the first not to be paid.
Other questions to consider…
🧠 Where do your ideal clients spend their time? I’m not just talking about social media platforms here!
🧠 What do they do during their work hours? Are they on a laptop, or out on the go and only checking things randomly?
🧠 Are they listening to podcasts during their commute, their downtime or at the gym?
🧠 How do they find a new service provider? Are they searching on social media? Asking for referrals?
🧠 What resources do they sign up for? What are they interested in?
🧠 What does their average day look like? Map it out and get specific!
🧠 What events do they attend? Are they going to networking events? Local? Online? Do they network AT ALL?
🧠 What is a high priority to them? Whats actually important for them?
🧠 How do they spend their budget?
🧠 Do they HAVE a budget for the work you do?
🧠 If you send emails or newsletters, do they even read it or is someone else monitoring their inbox for them?
That used to be my job in my corporate career and I can tell you most newsletters were deleted before my boss ever saw them, they’re already drowning in emails and you’re now adding to the clutter. It may be that you don’t even need an email list if thats your target audience.
All of these are things I help my clients work through to make sure they’re creating offers that exactly meet the needs of THEIR ideal clients.
We also take a look at the possible money archetypes of their ideal clients and help them understand those people’s buying behaviour.
When you use the slightly nuanced language of certain archetypes your message resonates so much better than if you’re using general terms.
Its like swapping out price for investment, theres a different energy to it and it’ll resonate differently with different archetypes.
I shared a bit about this in episode 29 on Buyer Behaviour, so make sure you check that one out if you’re interested in what makes people buy the things they do, why do they spend money on these seemingly random things that you would NEVER spend money on!
One thing to watch out for when you do an analysis like this is the outliers. Just because you got that one client from doing that thing that one time, doesn’t mean they’re ‘the one’.
We need to be aware of the outliers rather than giving them our entire focus and ignoring the rest of the amazing potential clients you haven’t identified properly.
We’re looking for sure things. Look for the patterns that work over and over and over.
Most of my clients in my business have come from Facebook, either in my friends list, a referral from someone I know there, or a Facebook group. Not email, not Instagram, and not from doing reels or sharing endless Stories!
Most have come from watching me share valuable content over time, my written posts, videos, livestreams and podcasts.
Where do most of YOUR clients come from? You might have got one once from your email list, but is that how you get most of your clients?
Another thing to be mindful of is who you ask for advice when you do this kind of analysis. The majority of people you’ll talk to are only able to give advice based on their own experience and behaviours.
Its like branding via social media, don’t ask the internet for feedback about your logo, colours or your business name. They don’t know you or your business like you do.
Go and ask someone who you think could be your ideal client. Ask them to go through this process and find out these questions – communication is such an amazing tool!
Trust your intuition about who your ideal clients are, and then ask yourself the kind of questions I’ve covered here. You’ll find a full transcript in the show notes link in the description so you don’t have to listen and hit pause to write them down – you’re welcome!
If you’d like MY help working through this and all the other things you need to make your business the fun, profitable, sustainable thing of beauty you’ve always wanted, send me a DM about IGNITE, my private coaching program.
I’m @funbusinessfunmoney, all one word, on both Facebook and Instagram. You’ll find me on Linkedin, just search for Deirdre Amies. Or you can email hello@deirdreamies.com if thats your preferred method of communication.
I currently have spots available for new clients so get in my inbox and lets talk!
You’ll also find a link to more info about IGNITE in the description of this episode.
Thats what I’ve got for you today!
Take a moment and ask yourself “Does my ideal client even care about this piece of content I’m about to share with the world? Or this offer I’m about to create?”
If the answer is “Cute! But I don’t care.” then you probably need to rethink it.
Because lets face it, you can create all the content and market your offer everywhere, but if you’re not talking to the right people about solving the right problem, nobody cares.
Take care, have fun and I’ll catch you in the next episode.
Want to make a BIG SHIFT in your business?
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